Santa Clara County, Calif. Raises Tobacco Purchase Age to 21

Just a few weeks after the idea was proposed, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an increase in the minimum age to purchase tobacco products and electronic smoking devices from 18 to 21, making it the first county in California to approve such a change.

While the increase must go through a second vote on June 23 before it is official, it isn’t expected to meet much if any opposition from the council.

The new ordinance will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2016 and only effects unincorporated parts of the county, though the hope is that cities like San Jose, Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Gilroy will quickly adopt similar measures to bring uniformity to the law.

The state legislature is also considering an increase in the tobacco purchase age to 21; the California State Senate approved the proposal in early June and it currently sits with the State Assembly.

Santa Clara County’s total population was estimated at just under 1.9 million people in 2014, making it the sixth most populous in the state and 16th largest county by population in the country.

I strive to capture the essence of a cigar and the people behind them in my work – every cigar you light up is the culmination of the work of countless people and often represents generations of struggle and stories. For me, it’s about so much more than the cigar – it’s about the story behind it, the experience of enjoying the work of artisans and the way that a good cigar can bring people together. In addition to my work with halfwheel, I’m the Spring Training public address announcer for the Colorado Rockies, PA announcer for the Salt River Rafters of the Arizona Fall League, and PA announcer for the Phoenix Mercury of the WNBA. I'm also work in a number of roles for MLB.com, plus I'm a voice talent and writer, among other things. I previously covered the Phoenix and national cigar scene for Examiner.com, and was an editor for Cigar Snob magazine.